Birthday Eggs

Hermana Ostler’s Update – August 25, 2014

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY IT’S MY BIRTHDAY. 

Or in better words, it WAS my birthday. I got rotten eggs cracked all over my head, flour in the face, and other evil pranks. Then we had to visit sisters and drop people off at the terminal, and something revolutionary happened, something that has never happened in my whole life..... I FORGOT THAT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. If you know me, you know that I am the type of person who proclaims to the whole world that it is MY special day and that all must bow down to me and treat me like The Queen of Genovia (Princess Diaries? Anyone?) 

But this birthday I made the goal to think of others. To stop being my typical self-centered me and lose myself in service that day. It was a really beautiful day and I felt a lot more love for other people, and a lot more gratitude to have another year of life to serve my fellow friends in this world. Love is what should drive us all, I am trying to have a lot more of it. Love to just be nice, to put vegetables in bags for an hour, and love to preach the gospel according to the needs and hurts of other people. Love is what makes us whole and happy. 

We also got to go to Valle Sagrado for the week. I LOVE THAT PLACE. We ate cuy and animal intestines (lie, I didn’t eat the intestines), went to my favorite orphanage in the world in Huayallabamba and ate Quinoa pizza. Most of all I love that place because it just feels different. The life is slower, people know their neighbor, there is no organization to anything, and it felt nice to feel a different pace. Also, Wishbone (The German Shepherd that ate my arm more than a year ago) died. VENGEANCE COMES. SOONER OR LATER IT BIT THAT DOG IN THE BUTT. 

Soledad is doing really well. She has a date to be baptized this 13 of September. I am so excited for her because she is starting to understand her importance as a daughter of God. She told me last night that lots of times she feels unworthy to pray to God. What a terrible lie that Satan has put in her head! We have never fallen too far, or said something too ugly, or been too disobedient, to be out of the reach of God’s love. Soledad is reading the Book of Mormon and says that she feels like it helps her know how to live her life. She loves church because she feels that the people there just want to help her be happy. I love Soledad- she will be so happy if she just keeps pressing forward.

I love you all! I love Cusco and I love Peru- I love being a literal representative of Jesus Christ because he is changing me. I love seeing that change in the people who I love so deeply here. I love cuy and I love birthdays. I also love Nutella. Thanks mom for sending it! It lasted about 2 days. But I don’t love sleeping in hospital chairs, can we just eliminate that from my mission experience? 

I love you!

Hermana Alex